Archive for the 'Travel' Category

Malcolm Pearl is a pseudonym for a Foreign Service officer who has served abroad as a consular officer.

Summary

One aspect of the debate over immigration concerns how to curb the number of children born to temporary or illegal alien residents in the United States who then become U.S. citizens, based on the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S Constitution. Trying to pass legislation that changes birthright citizenship rules likely will face several legal and political challenges. A smaller step that can go long way in reducing the problems associated with this practice, and one fraught with fewer potential land mines, is to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to detect, deter, and penalize foreigners who come to the United States on tourist or other temporary visas for the purpose of giving birth and returning home. Presently there is no prohibition, nor concerted U.S. government effort to stop, individuals from taking advantage of our liberal citizenship policies in order to make their children instant U.S. citizens.

I visited Toronto in early March 2010 and as I left the country I passed through the usual security check at Pearson International Airport. What made it different is that the next passengers after me in line were a man, a small child, and a person in niqab. (I write “person” rather than “woman” as I hardly know who was under the niqab outfit.)

Curious how the niqabi’s hidden identity would be handled, I looked back as the trio was dealing with the security agent. To my astonishment, the agent did not demand to see the niqabi’s face but was content to see those of the man and child. I wanted dearly to video this procedure on my mobile phone but dared not, thinking that this could well get me hauled in on some charge that I, ironically, was breaching security.

A friend just sent me the following “laugh until you cry” quiz. One hopes that the folks screening us at airports are given this quiz and are guided accordingly. Perhaps passengers should carry it with them; as they say: “Don’t leave home without it.”

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, young Israeli athletes were kidnapped and massacred by: Continue reading…

For those who will be traveling to Israel for the first time, and even for veteran tourists, there is no doubt that the holy city of Jerusalem, in all its resplendent majesty, continues to be a focal point of any journey. Jerusalem is known as “the center of the world” and as such is steeped in thousands of years of rich and vibrant religious history. Because each tourist desires a visit that is rife with powerful personal meaning along with a lifetime of vivid memories, then Ahron Horowitz’s new book entitled, “Jerusalem: Footsteps Through Time: Ten Torah Study Tours of the Old City” (Feldheim Publishers) is simply indispensable.

Calling Quebec City “picturesque” is an understatement. The center of French culture in the Western Hemisphere, it is perched above the mighty St. Lawrence seaway. Outdoor activities like whale-watching, cross-country skiing, biking, and roller-blading are the norm. Arts and artists abound, from opera to street musicians, to galleries, to art museums. First-class restaurants cater to almost any palate. Since 1608, the Quebecois have tenaciously preserved their beautiful culture and are celebrating their capital city’s 400th anniversary.